Black Flight to the Suburbs on the Rise
1st August 2015
Thirteen of the 20 cities with largest black populations (including nine of the 10 largest) registered declines in their black populations from 2000 to 2010. Among central cities of the 100 largest metropolitan areas 33 experienced declines in their black populations, and 68 showed either first-time losses, larger losses, or smaller gains among blacks than in the 1990s. Clearly, the black urban presence, which has been the mainstay of many large cities, is diminishing.
Three cities with the largest black declines—Detroit, Chicago, and New York—were among the primary destinations for blacks during the Great Migration out of the South in the first part of the 20th century. However, black losses were not confined to northern cities. Southern and Western cities such as Atlanta, Dallas, and Los Angeles were also among those losing blacks in 2000-2010.